Mobile plant of Airbus gets prepared to deliver first NEO

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Mobile - Since it became operational in September 2015, the Airbus plant in Mobile, Alabama has produced only A320ceo and A321ceo. A new milestone to be reached in March 2018, with the delivery of the first aircraft from the A320neo family.

This aircraft will be an A321neo equipped with Pratt & Whitney engines. It still has to roll-out and fly before its delivery to Hawaiian Airlines next month. It will be the fifth aircraft of its kind to join the fleet of the Honolulu-based airline operator.

Mobile will then become the fourth and the last Airbus plant to deliver an airliner from the A320neo family, after Toulouse, Hamburg, and Tianjin.

The US factory delivered its first plane in April 2016. The 50th aircraft, an A321ceo, was delivered to Delta Air Lines in December 2017. Airbus announced on this occasion that it had achieved its goal of producing four A320s a month at Mobile plant.

Globally, Airbus has planned to increase the production of its single-aisle planes to 60 units per month by mid-2019, compared to around 46 in 2017. Mobile is participating in this effort to produce six aircraft per month by 2020.

The order book of the European aircraft manufacturer is well stocked. As of December 31, 2017, it included more than 5,000
NEOs remaining to be delivered.

The Mobile plant is intended to strengthen Airbus' production capacity but also to bring the company closer to its North American customers.